Last Saturday, Mancos United hosted an auction to “kick off” their capital campaign and build more community awareness around the program, who they are and what they do.
“I found when putting the auction together, asking for donations and participation, that I was continuing to ‘tell the story’ and answer the questions,” Emily Hutcheson-Brown told The Journal. “Folks sometimes know that MU helps, but they don't always associate that help with every need met through MU (Summer Hub, basic needs). It's a wonderful opportunity to share the story and just spend time with the community.”
Mancos United helps put on the Mancos Summer Hub during the summer, along with helping provide for other needs within the community.
Mancos United Executive Director Katie McClure shared that Mancos Summer Hub is an “all-day, all-week, all-summer” day camp that has been funded by a two-year grant.
McClure shared that recent data from the Summer Hub show that students who attended scored an average of 10 percentage points higher on their fall testing than the students who didn’t attend.
This summer, Summer Hub time slots sold out in 64 minutes.
Though the grant that had been funding Summer Hub is now over, the McClure said that they are confident they will have what they need to fund the camp this summer.
“We believe that when we all give what we can, we will all have what we need. We're excited for Summer Hub 2025; $2,000 supports one kid for an entire summer but truly any amount helps,” McClure said.
Anyone who would like to donate can do so online at https://givebutter.com/STk3Px.
Other needs that Mancos United contributes to in the community have been in the areas of tutoring support, vehicle repairs and even emergency propane heat.
Some of the “pretty incredible” donors to the auction are from the community. Hand In Hand (book and wine store in downtown Mancos), Mancos Brewing Company, P & D Grocery, Mesa Verde Lavender Farm, Kilgore Gallery, Las Huicholas and Ground Breaking LLC were a few that were mentioned.
Hutcheson-Brown also shared that she donated a painting of her late father’s to the auction.
“He passed away about a year ago, and he left behind a series of prints with wishes for local charities to benefit. This was the first one I offered, and it brings me a lot of joy to honor his wishes and offer the print for enjoyment to those that may have known him or were impacted by his teaching work or art,” Hutcheson-Brown said.
In total, the auction received donations from over 40 donors, and the funds raised to launch Mancos United’s capital campaign exceeded $10,000 with outright donations and auction fundraising.
